Health Service Utilization and Cost Outcomes from a Permanent Supportive Housing Program: Evidence from a Managed Care Health Plan

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hunter, Sarah B.

Contributor:

Batra, Priya

Briscombe, Brian

Cefalu, Matthew

McBain, Ryan K.

Mcconnell, William

Scherling, Adam

Language:

English

Other Title:

Health Service Utilization and Cost Outcomes from a Permanent Supportive Housing Program

Place of Publication:

Santa Monica, Calif. RAND Corporation 2021

Summary:

Although rates of homelessness have remained fairly steady in the United States over the past decade, the number of people experiencing homelessness in California has continued to grow. California now has an estimated 151,000 people experiencing homelessness, more than any state in the nation. Permanent supportive housing (PSH) has been recently adopted by health plans, hospitals, and large health systems as a way to address one of the key social determinants of health: stable housing. This report represents a second examination of a PSH program operated by a large not-for-profit Medicaid and Medicare managed care plan in Southern California. This PSH program combines a long-term housing subsidy with intensive case management services for adult plan members experiencing homelessness who have one or more chronic physical or behavioral health conditions and represent high utilizers of inpatient health care. In this report, the authors provide an overview of implementation to date, including information about referrals and enrollment into the program, housing placements, and participant characteristics. The authors also assess the short-term impact of the program by examining health care service utilization and associated costs in the six months prior to and six months following enrollment in PSH in comparison with an observational control group of adult plan members who did not receive PSH. The authors also examine the PSH program costs during this period.